Up to 50% off all artworks, ceramics, and jewellery!

Queen gallery and participating artists are offering huge discounts to promote art and help you acquire unique gifts. We guarantee that our collection of jewellery, ceramics, and artworks to be one of a kind and most importantly affordable to all budgets.

You can visit us from December 13 to December 23. Tuesday through Saturday from 3:30pm to 7:30pm during regular gallery hours, or book an appointment by emailing us at info@queengallery.ca.

Join us on Saturdays for coffee, cookies, tea, and holiday shopping from 3:30pm to 7:30pm!

Mojgan Rahiminejad (Mojy) is a Visual Artist and Graphic designer born in 1966 in Tehran. Her artistic career started early on. She successfully presented two art exhibitions in her home city before completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic design from the Azad University of Tehran (Faculty of Arts and Architecture). Ever since graduating, she has been working as a professional graphic designer and pursuing her other passions painting and drawing in her free time. Currently Mojy’s work focusses on drawing and the glow of layers in human’s being throughout life.

“Our lives comprise of different layers of energy, which overlay on top of each other through the passage of time. These layers make our life.

Instead of eliminating and overseeing the dirty layers, let’s look at the beautiful texture they create together in composition.

Let’s search for the beauty in the bigger picture!” Mojy

During Mojgan Rahiminejad (Mojy) solo exhibition we will also be exhibiting Mandan Rahiminejad jewellery pieces.

Mandan Rahiminejad was born in Tehran. In 1990 she became a Visual Art technician. In 2005 she specialized in jewellery making and studied under the Iranian jewellery masters Mrs. Mona Pand & Professor Tanavoli (mehr-mah). She has had 9 solo and group exhibitions. Including a group exhibition of Professor Tanavoli students at Niavaran Cultural Center in 2016.

Thursday, October 5th from 7 pm to 9 pm

Sana published his first novel ‘A Place to Be’ (Jaei baraye boodan) in Farsi in 2010: the tale of a passionate young man in the midst of immigration.

His second novel ‘The Sediments’ (Rosoob) reveals the rattling surreal story of a professional worn-out war photographer whose doomed destiny is ominously bound by the horrendous hands of a photo which was taken of five European coalition soldiers during post Iraq invasion era. The story is partially based on an ex-marine’s memories.

His film script ‘A Gray Insomniac’ was a finalist in Amazon Studios script writing program in 2012.

Sana’s latest novel ‘Nyctohpilia’ consumed four years and as the author asserts, similar to an apparition slowly emerging in a silent slender perplexing passage on a never-ending night, Nyctophilia appeared to be his most authentic artifact — the product of an existential enquiry. Nyctophilia is a tale of consciousness. It summons the surreal story of an abandoned absorbed presence struggling with amnesia who (or which) must encounter a few lost-in-life humans to cease his maddening mission.

He currently resides in Toronto and lectures at the University of Ontario – Oshawa.

We are thrilled to present Contested, a solo exhibition featuring the artworks of Liora Salter.

“The ordinary can be provoking and visually exciting: a crush of backpacks on the university–bound bus, a tangle of wires found at any European train station, the pipes and drains in the basements of old buildings, even a pile of string or dishes in the sink or a mop and pail shoved into a cupboard. I want to challenge the commonplace wisdom that art is supposed to lift us out of the mundane. I want instead to transform how we see the mundane, to make myself and others see differently. I don’t do big and bold; I aim for quiet, detailed and thought-provoking. Even my paintings are essentially drawings in disguise.

Where I go for the edge is in pushing the limits of materials: inventing new kinds of surfaces, stretching dimensionality in traditionally two dimensional artwork, and challenging the limitations of traditional methods. The materials I use are those found readily – plexi-glass, gels, paints, pencil, wires, as well as paint. I am continually experimenting with them; this is a central element of my work. Process creates its own meanings.

And yes, and in contradistinction with much contemporary art, I believe that eloquence and elegance (call it aesthetics) still matter. In my work, beauty is not a dirty word, and politics are but an undercurrent.” Liora Salter

HOW TO APPLY
Email info@queengallery.ca with your resume and a short paragraph about why you are interested in volunteering with us. Please, also include your availability and the amount of hours that your are interested in volunteering.

Do you have a passion for writing and marketing? Are you interested in visual arts?

We are delighted to invite you to celebrate Queen Gallery’s seventh anniversary with the opening of our 50/50 Annual Juried Art Exhibition. All the artworks are 50 cm x 50 cm and the show runs from August 8 to 19, 2017. We are honoured to have friends and patrons like you in this journey.

Born on February 7th, 1972, Reza Eslami is a published Canadian-Iranian architect and poet who captures both in his photography. Since the age of 15, Reza has been actively engaged with drawing, photography and writing poetry and has had two photography exhibitions, one in 1998 and the second on in 2001.

Planner ‏Ziba Loghmani is an Iranian-Canadian Urban Planner that was born on November 8th 1972. Her interests in Photography and Psychology directed her to see the objects and spaces around her from a conceptual point of view. She is a screen play writer that had been the student of one of the most famous Iranian photographers and cinema directors, Nasser Taghvaei for more than five years, an honour that she cherishes forever. Nasser Taghvaei’s emphasis on importance of closing a proper frame, gave Ziba a new approach to the world of photography.

The reception of our photography exhibition is tomorrow at Queen Gallery. It is always exciting to have an exhibition, beyond imagination… and then the devastating news of earthquake of Kermanshah broke and made us gasp, trying to inhale any tiny thin bit of the pain and suffering they are going through.

The Exhibition will go on, as the life has to go on, but it doesn’t have to go on with closing our eyes and passing the suffered people by, if we can.

Therefore, We are donating all the earnings through the sale of our photographs to support the Iranian families devastated by the earthquake. We hope you all can find a way to help them as well. Ziba & Reza

“Studium operates in the arena of liking, while Punctum operated in the arena of loving”

Studuim & Punctum

Studium:

Studuim, which doesn’t mean (at least not immediately) study, is a Latin word which means;

an application to a thing,

taste for someone,

a kind of general, enthusiastic commitment

And of course, without any special acuity.

To recognize the Studium, is inevitably to encounter the photograph’s intentions, to enter into harmony with them, to approve or disapprove of them, but always to understand them or to argue them within self.

Punctum:

The second element will break (or punctuate) the studium. This time it is not the viewer who seek it out, it is this element which rises from the scene, shoots out of it like an arrow. This second element which will disturb the studium, has been called also by Roland Barthes, Punctum, for punctum is also: sting, speck, cut, little hole and also a cast of a dice.

The tricky thing is not pointing to, and elaboration on photographs as examples of studium. All photographs can, in fact, be considered as studiums. Definitely the challenge is finding and explaining the arrows Barthes is talking about as punctums, those accidents that pricks and makes small holes in you.

Well, the fact that you start looking for punctums at all misses the point. Punctums hit you, so go looking for something that might hit you is moving the scene from punctum to studium. Punctums are also casts of the dice. (more…)

What integrates spatial buildings and structures with deeper concepts more than anything else, is the human’s connection with place and their description of the feeling of place. Human nature is undeniably connected with place, and it can be said that the human, experiences their own “self” through their sensual understanding in and from the place. The human, faces the environment using their body; their feet measure the length of corridors and the width of rooms … They experience themselves in places, and the place comes to life again through the human’s accumulated experiences.

Biography:

Leily Hafizirad is an Iranian photographer for ten years. She has travelled across the world and has met all walks of life who crossed her path. Along the way, she has developed her strong concern in children deprived of education, Her focus is mainly on Afghan children in rural areas, one of poorest countries that lack in education. In her work, she has a keen eye in capturing small moments of happiness among children, parents and relatives where poverty exist. This has clearly proved that poverty and happiness dose not show any contradiction.

Solitude is an enigmatic and mystical brevity on love, hate, hope, and despair through one’s life—that is sometimes expressed in sarcastic form, with the bravery of attacking one’s own thoughts and actions. The author takes us on a journey through his feelings and emotions that oscillate between reality and dream. He laughs, screams, cries, protests, and loves without the fear of judgement, in hopes of finding the true self. Reading this book, you can find yourself in front of a mirror, looking into your own soul, connecting with each verse, hearing echoes of your being from the deepest of memories, nostalgias and dreams. Solitude is a man’s story of living his life without fear of revealing his vices or affirming his virtues.

Born on February 7th, 1972, Reza Eslami is a Canadian-Iranian architect and poet who is a long-term resident of Toronto, Canada, having immigrated to the city in 1996. Since the age of 15, Reza has been actively engaged with drawing, photography and writing poetry. Alongside his poetry, a number of his photographs are featured in this book.

We are thrilled to exhibit the artworks of Nooshfar Vassei at her solo exhibition “Being in the Moment”. This collection captures on canvas the artist’s experience of immigration and time.

“Four years ago, after a life of painting and creating art for 30 years in Iran, I immigrated to Canada. Like all other immigrants, I went through a period of mental and emotional complexity for which not only my lifestyle was affected, but also my creativeness and artistic sense was temporarily silenced. Due to the overarching emotional complexities of migration, for a period of time, I felt especially paralyzed artistically. Thinking about the past, the life and art I had known for decades, and distressing about the unknown future felt debilitating.
It was around this time period when a close and extremely wise friend advised me of the value of the “present time”. She encouraged me to paint without the boundaries of memories, expectations, or an outlook on life. This is when I discovered mindfulness in the realm of art and creativity.
To paint from a live object or person required me to be wholly immersed in and focused on my subjects. It also taught me a new way of looking at ordinary objects around me. The magic of still life painting allows me to capture the object placed in front of me by strokes of paint, oil, pastel, or pencil, and create a life and soul within those strokes. Depending on the subject, arrangements, lighting, color, and paint, I try to depict a variety of emotions.
At the same time, being in the moment helps me navigate the challenges of migration. My new series of artwork, portraits and still life depict my struggles with reminiscences of the past, and qualms of the future for which I now have found the perfect solution – to be in the moment.”
Nooshfar Vassei

50/50 Juried Art Exhibition

* Participation Fee: $60.00 (for first submission) $5.00 (for each additional work, maximum 3 works per artist) *Participation Fees are only paid if your work is selected to be part of the show

Artwork drop off: August 3 and August 4 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm Artwork pick up: August 19 from 6pm to 7:00 pm and August 22 from 4:00pm to 7:00pm

Queen Gallery is seeking submissions for our annual 50/50 Juried Art Exhibition! Our last show was such a giant success that we are very excited to continue this tradition to celebrate our anniversary. All artwork must be 20” x 20” (including frame, if work is framed) and artists can submit up to three works.

Reception: Wednesday August 9, 2017 from 7 to 9:30 pm Exhibition: August 8 to 19, 2017

All artwork must be completed, ready to hang (including professional backings and hanging equipment) and in good condition. It must have your name, title and medium printed clearly on the back and an arrow to indicate which direction is up (unless, of course, it is obvious).

Curators: Mahrokh Ahankhah & David Townsend

May 2- May 26, 2017Tuesday to Saturday 3:30pm to 7:30pm

Opening reception:Wednesday May 3, 2017, 7:00-9:00 pm

This retrospective of the late Toronto photographer Oscar Wolfman (1956-2011) focuses on his transgressive yet deeply reverent queering of Jewish spirituality and culture. Large-format archival prints reference the the Italian settecento, in lush reimaginings of biblical scenes. Meditations on Jewish ritual practices provocatively foreground their homoerotic valence. The deeply humane relation of Wolfman’s camera to the inner life of his subjects is perhaps the purest distillation of his spirituality.

Join us for a fun night of egg painting and wine sipping, to celebrate spring and the Persian New Year!

Egg decorating is one of the traditions related to the Norouz celebrations. Norouz meaning “new day” in Persian, takes place during the spring equinox and marks the Persian New Year. In preparation for this holiday family members come together to paint and decorate eggs. It is said that it is from this cultural tradition that the Christian egg decorations practice originates.

This spring we welcome all cultures, traditions, and religions to come together to celebrate Norouz.